Non-Attachment:

Hey everyone, I hope things are well on your end, wherever you are. It seems as though this Coronavirus thing is really creating some havoc back on the mainland and around the globe. Canceling flights to and from Europe and even the great March Madness!! How will we ever live!! Its times like these that I remember how little control we all actually have. It also reminds me that it doesn’t matter where you are living on this earth, how much money you have, what your job is. Coronavirus does not care about the labels we place on ourselves. Everything is fleeting, and we never know what is going to happen at any moment. No, this doesn’t have to be scary either. This is what makes life exciting! Everything is always changing right before our eyes, and having a view of it that is non-attached can help us all to live it in a more peaceful, happy way.

Most of us create little stories or mind-movies within our heads. We play out scenarios or our future lives and how they will be. We picture ourselves happy (most of the time) with maybe our dream job, the perfect partner, maybe a few kids thrown in the mix (or none if thats how you want to roll). We spend our present moments carefully planning and checking things off our lists so that our futures may turn out exactly how we view them in our minds. But most of the time, reality is not what we think it is going to be! I know that I am not alone in this. Did I think that I would be typing away in a coffee shop in a small town called Pahoa on a Thursday morning in Hawaii? Hell no! I thought I would be living out west, in some graduate program for creative writers. That was my plan anyway. But plans never turn out how we think they will. Life never turns out how we think we want it to. But it turns out how it is supposed to. Take that sentence in, let it marinate in your membrane for a minute or two. Everything turns out how it should. Though sometimes we don’t always see it this way.

We get so caught up in what we think we need and want, who we think we should be with, what job we think we should have, where we should be living, that we forget we are exactly where we are supposed to be, doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing in the present moment. To me, everything happens for a reason. There are no coincidences. The universe pushes us exactly where we need to go. Sometimes it gives us lessons that may seem unfair or unbearable. We may ask, “why is this happening to me?” A good way to think about these hardships is rephrasing the questions to, “what is this teaching me?”. This goes back to one of the Niyamas of yoga called Tapas which means to put yourself in the heat or the fire, so that you may burn away anything that keeps you from becoming your best self. At the time it really sucks to be in the heat, it is uncomfortable and maybe a bit scary, but change is scary for most of us. That is why a lot of people don’t want to change.

You may look around and think that your life is in chaos, or destruction. You may feel confused when you see the ashes of your life lay around you; everything that you were working towards, everything that you thought you knew suddenly changes. But I promise that you will make it to the other side a much stronger and more humble, wise soul.

Even though our external world is out of our control, such as the way others act towards us, or circumstances that occur, we can control our internal reactions. Practicing non-attachment is a great way to do this. Simply letting things you can’t control (which is everything outside of you) flow out of you. When someone cancels plans, instead of getting upset with them, just letting the negative energy you are feeling inside flow out of you and on its way. Imagine life is like a river, and if you don’t flow with it, what happens? You try to fight the current, climb your way upstream and you become exhausted and stressed by having to flight the natural direction of the way the river is going. The more we try to fight what is happening to us, the more we will suffer. The more we acknowledge what is happening to us and make peace with it, the faster it will be to get over it.

The more that we can view our lives with a non-attached view, the more we can enjoy the rhythm of life. The more we can let go of the tension we feel within, we begin to relax and join the ever-changing dance of what it means to be alive in this human experience. We spend so much time worrying about things that will never happen, things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of it all. When we do this we miss out of the simple pleasures that are always happening within and around us.

I also want to say that this doens’t mean you can just sit back and wait for it all to come to you. Because that is not how it all works either (if only). Knowing when to take action and when to just let it be is also part of life; again it is a balance:) What you put out into the world you get back from the world.

Remember to breathe through it all. You are exactly where you are meant to be, doing exactly what you are meant to be doing.

Mahalo beauties,

Rylee

Living out of the box!!

Aloha homies!!! I hope everyone is well. I am feeling the energies of life today!! New changes occurring in my life…and I am excited about it. Where will it all lead? No one knows…can only enjoy the present moment at hand! Mercury retrograde may have us all feeling a certain type of way, but its not all bad like we think. In fact, during the retrograde it is the perfect time to reflect on habits and patterns of thinking that might be limiting us. It is a time to rest and reflect, which is why sometimes our technology doesn’t work, travel plans don’t go our way., etc. The universe is trying to get us all to just stop and relax for a few minutes during our crazy, wild lives! Something our western culture has a difficult time doing.

Recently I watched a video that someone shared on Facebook about women, and all of the struggles we face to be “perfect”. To live up to these unattainable standards that society attempts to force upon us. I really vibe with this video, as I can think of many times that people have made comments to me about how they think I should be living my life: in terms of the way I dress, act, behave, etc. My friend and I got to chatting about how rigid our society really is. Its as though we are born and put into these boxes before we even get a chance to discover who we really are! (The being that is under all the learned behaviors, ways of thinking, childhood/past-life traumas, etc.). Most of us act a certain way because we believe it is “the right way” to be. But have you ever stopped and really asked yourself why you are doing what you're doing? Why you like what you like? Have you asked yourself if you’re happy with the “persona” you’ve created within your mind? Newsflash! These are all just thoughts in your mind. Not the real you. You can be who you want at anytime you want. Time is always moving, change is always happening. Nothing is stagnant. Everyday we are born again. Remember this when you feel you want to change, when you want to let the real you out! When suddenly the life you think you wanted doesn’t make sense any more! Its ok to feel lost, confused, sad, happy, angry. Its ok to feel all of it…it is apart of the human experience.

Society sets us up to limit us. It categorizes us and tells us who we should be. But humanity is a spectrum, its a rainbow of colors! To think that billions of us could be categorized into a few labels is insane!! The beauty of humanity is that we are all unique, we all have our own gifts and passions that we are born with to share with the world, or to just share with ourselves! Point is: its YOUR life. At the end of it all, the opinions of others won’t matter, they don’t matter now. No one knows you better than yourself. No one knows what you need more than you.

We were not brought into this world to look the same, act the same, be the same. We were brought here to share our dreams and our passions with one another. To share and to give and to live in love. When we don’t express who we really are, we hold this within ourselves. This can create stuck emotions that can lead to physical and mental ailments. When we are not who we are truly meant to be, not only us suffer, but the whole world suffers! Just look around at how unhappy most people actually are….we all drown it in drugs, alcohol, media, other people. We use these things as a way to run away from the fear of how unhappy we are that we are afraid to be ourselves. And yes it is scary….but most things worth fighting for in this life are scary. But you will find that the grass is truly greener on the other side. So take the leap, make the jump…do what it is that sets your heart on fire. Because I guarantee you will thank yourself, and so will the rest of the world.

I am really passionate about this topic as it really hits home for me. My whole journey thus far I always felt like I was chained down, forced to fit in when I knew deep down that to be like everyone else…to follow the “normal path” laid out in front of me, was just something that I would never be able to do (unless I wanted to be really unhappy). This caused me a lot of pain and suffering…and thus I projected this out to the world. But I’ve have been trying my best to heal the wounds first in myself, and to also help others by living a life in which I choose to love others for who they are. It can be challenging at times, but it is worth the struggle. I want you all to know, whoever reads this…that you are already everything you ever need to be. Already perfectly imperfect! And you can do anything you want to do…just trust and listen to yourself. We can do this!!

Mahalo,

Rylee

Following your heart can be the hardest thing to do:

Hi everyone!!

Thank you all for being so patient as I haven’t written in almost a month. I have been busy with yoga, visiting my family, and also taking care of myself. But I am back! Hope you have all been well:) This week I am going to talk about following your heart/staying true to yourself. This may sound easy but is actually very hard for most of us to do. Our heart knows deep down what we truly need, what it is in this life that we are supposed to do. But most of us forget to listen or choose not to listen to it.

All of the answers that we continuously search outward for such as in other people, material objects, teachers, books, technology, etc. lie within our hearts. I have spoken about this before and I will always continue to do so because this is very important. A lot of us listen to the voice in our heads which is mostly run by the ego and not the truth within our souls. This voice in our heads can sound accurate and like it is coming from us, but if we actually take some time to listen to what it is saying and think about where it is coming from, we can see that it is not actually us and only a fabrication that the mind has created!

One way to quiet this voice and begin to listen to the heart is through meditation. Just taking a few minutes out of the day for self-study or svadhyaya can tell you a lot about what you are actually feeling. Taking a few deep breaths and centering yourself. Feeling the way your body reacts to certain thoughts, words, outside stimulants can also tell you a lot about what may or may not be good for you. We are all energies and everything around us are also energies; our bodies know the difference between positive and negative energies and vibrations, its just about listening and acknowledging this. Pretty cool, ya?!

Once we can center ourselves and come back to our bodies instead of hanging up in the clouded minds inside our heads we can begin to feel the strong sensations within our hearts. The quiet voice that lives within and knows what you truly need, who you truly are. All we have to do is listen. You can also ask your heart how it is feeling (internally or externally, it doesn’t really matter). All that matters is that you acknowledge and feel what this voice is trying to tell you. You may not like what it has to say because sometimes the truth isn’t what our ego wants to hear! The truth can make us uncomfortable and fearful but these feelings are not us, just another layer of the ego that we must shed. When we can breath and let go of this fear that we may feel from learning the truth; this is when we truly begin to step into our power.

Following your heart can be tricky and at times difficult. Its not all romance and jetting off on some whimsical adventure like they show in the movies (thank you commercial movie industry). Most of the time it is diving into your biggest fears of letting other people down (this is also only an illusion), sacrificing relationships, leaping into the unknown without knowing how it will all work out. Yes it can be scary at the time, but the best things in this life usually are. To get where I am now I had to stop listening to the opinions of others, sell all of my stuff, say goodbye to people I loved not knowing if and when I would ever see them again, quit my jobs, and fly to the Hawaiian Islands not really knowing why exactly I was going there in the first place. I didn’t know what I would find, just that my heart wanted me to go! If I didn’t listen to it, I knew I would continue to be unhappy. And yes, people said I was crazy to not get a “real job”, save money, live out of two backpacks, and move to an island where I knew no one. But it was the best decision I ever made!

We are all on different journeys and no one can say what is right for you, but you!! No one knows how to live your life better than you. So stop listening to the opinions of others, and start listening to your heart. Listen to this, go inward, breathe deeply. It will never lead you astray. Yes the road can be tough, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. It’s all about remembering to be grateful for the present moment, and everything in-between. We are all only in this human experience for a short while, so we might as well do what we actually are meant to do, instead of what we “think” we should do.

I am at a point in my journey again where my heart calls me to do something that I don’t necessarily want to do, but I will do it anyway, even if it makes me fearful and uncomfortable. I am not sure where I will land, but I trust that it is exactly where I need to be.

Mahalo to all you lovely beings. Feel free to message and comment!

Rylee

The power of vulnerability:

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a great 2020 so far! Today is aloha Friday and also a FULL MOON!! I don’t know too much about astrology, but I do know that full moons shed some light on our inner darkness, causing everything we have been trying to suppress (emotions, feelings, traumas) to come to the surface. This is why some people may feel a bit out of balance and perhaps like they are going a bit crazy! Don’t worry you are not, and honestly if you feel like you are-it is a good thing! Don’t fight it: the wild emotions, the feelings; they are all a part of what it means to be human. We can take a lesson from our beautiful friend the wind: simply let it flow through you: in and out of your limbs. The more we hold onto things, whether this be tangible or intangible, the more we remain stuck; in patterns, habits, thoughts. This can cause us to have illness within our physical bodies as well as in our mental spheres. So just breathe and let it go!

Now for my talking point this week: vulnerability! Full moons ask us to be vulnerable with ourselves and others. This time allows us to really look within and ask what we need to let go of. What is it that holds us back from becoming our best selves? Why are we so afraid to let ourselves be vulnerable? To let ourselves be open? Most of this stems from fear: fear of rejection, of being hurt, not loved, misunderstood, etc. To be vulnerable in our society is to be looked at as weak and emotional. We’re taught to be strong; to hold it all in, because no one wants to see the “ugly side” of things. But we as humans have more than one side, more than one emotion. One is not more beautiful than the other, that is what makes being a human so magnificent! Its that we get to experience all of the feelings, the whole spectrum of colorful emotions!! Without one you could not have the other, we would not be whole.

Yes being vulnerable can be fucking scary. It has been the hardest thing for me to overcome, and I honestly still have work to. But I am trying, and thats all that matters. By putting ourselves in the fire ( this is also tapas, one of the niyamas of yoga, more on that later), we can help to burn away anything we no longer want or need in our lives such as past traumas, habits, etc. Yes perhaps defending ourselves, keeping our emotions closed in was some survival skill we needed at one point in our lives. But its important to know when it is time to let go, to release and realize that maybe these learned habitual patterns are not what we actually need in the new.

Letting others see our vulnerabilities can also help them to become more comfortable with being vulnerable themselves. When others see us living authentically it gives them the opportunity to see us for who we truly are as well as see themselves and notice if they are truly living the life that they want to be living. When we let go of fear and the fake armor that we hide behind, we create deeper connection with ourselves as well as with those around us. We also feel more at peace within, and cultivate more self-love:) And we all know, the more love we have for ourselves, the more we have for pachamama, and all of her children!

So my challenge to you is to open up to yourself, perhaps become more introspective and ask yourself if you are holding anything back, if fear is driving your actions or the way you live your life. Find where this fear is and then go after it and dive right in, conquer it, and you will find that it wasn’t actually so scary at all, that maybe opening up and being vulnerable with yourself and others is exactly what you needed.

I realize I am posting this on Sunday and not aloha Friday, but life became busy when I was typing this up Friday night and I wanted to move with the flow not fight it, so I am posting it now when I have more time to edit and write! Feel free to comment or message, everyone have a great week!

Mahalo,

Rylee

Meditation 101:

Hello folks!! Happy new year/vision year/weekend/journey. Whatever you want to call this time period or moment that you are currently in, I hope that it is full of joy and love. And if it is not, that is perfectly fine too. There is no light without darkness, no ying without the yang, no moon without the sun! Ah, the sweet balance of it all!

Today I want to talk a bit about meditation. This is something that has come up a lot in my journey and something that I believe started my spiritual awakening. It is a very important practice to me, something that has allowed me to dive into the deeper parts myself so that I can notice what serves me/doesn’t serve me. It has also helped me to feel more connected everything, as well as the ability to quiet the fluctuations of my mind so that I may be more present in the now! Because all we really have in this life is the now, a string of moments upon moments that create one big moment! The moment that is our life. Whoo!!

So what is meditation? To me, it is focusing the mind’s awareness on one specific point. It is concentrating on one thing within the mind so that the voices in your head may grow a bit quieter, may flow in and then out instead of staying and creating false stories/images/illusions/etc. It is taking time out of the day to really assess how you are feeling. How is your breath? Is it shallow and in your chest area? (You may be feeling anxious). Or is it more elongated and flowing down to your navel? (More relaxed). Breath can tell you a lot about how you are feeling!

This is also a time to simply notice what is coming up, without judgement! This is a big one. We don’t need any more judgment in our lives, we certainly get enough of that from society. Notice these thoughts and simply study them. Where are they coming from? What are they telling you? Is this true for you? Is this how you actually feel? A lot of the time our thoughts are telling us things that aren’t actually relevant. If we listen to them too much, if we believe everything that they say, it can make us go crazy, feel overwhelmed, anxious, and depressed. Feeling anxious is a big one for me, and knowing that my thoughts are NOT ME, but simply my ego, I can decide whether I want to listen to them, or let them go.

By meditating we gain a bit more control over our minds, our breath, our emotions. When we do this, it easier to relax into the present moment, release attachments to the stories we tell ourselves, and simply just be! We don’t need to go anywhere, be anything, we already ARE. Right now!

Meditating also doesn’t have to be sitting on some rock staring off into space for hours (though I enjoy this sometimes). It can be while you’re chopping vegetables, walking down the street, driving your car, talking to your neighbor. If you can focus your mind on what is right in front of you, you are meditating! One trick I like to use is concentrating on my breath while I do anything, this helps to bring me out of my head and into presence. You can also try guided meditations. There are some cool ones on YouTube, Gaia, Spotify, pretty much anywhere on the web! This may be good for newbies if you don’t know where to start:)

Again, its all trial and error. What works for you, may work completely different for another. Some days you may feel totally focused and zen, other days you may feel out of control and restless. All is completely ok! This is a life-long, probably multi-life-long practice! There are so many different types of meditation techniques and practices, finding the right one that works for your life at the present moment is so important! And like anything, your meditation practice may change and look different with the ebb and flow of life. As long as you make time for yourself and your practice, you are doing your best with where you are at and what you’ve got!

You also don’t need much time to meditate, even 5-10 minutes a day is so helpful! Doing this just once everyday can seriously change your inner world in terms of how you perceive your reality. It is important to remember to keep at it, a lot of times our society wants the answer or fix right now! But our meditation practice asks us to be patient; the best things in life are worth waiting for.

I could say so much more about this topic, and I most likely will in another post! This is what I feel is important when first starting a meditation practice. As always, feel free to comment or message me with any questions or tips of your own!

Mahalo,

Rylee

What is the ego?

I’ve been mentioning the ego so much in my other posts that I thought I should speak a few words about what it actually is! This is what it means to ME, as in the lens in which I see this term through. Interpret how you will, it’s all up to you after all!! This is where true freedom lies.

So…the EGO. We all have one; yes even gurus and enlightened ones too. It’s about first recognizing that you have one and then going from there. The ego is that voice in your head. You know what one that is ALWAYS talking? Literally always, it never shuts up! Commenting about everything, making judgements about people, things, feelings, experiences. It labels, constructs, tells stories, and creates illusions within the mind that don’t actually exist.

The ego tries to protect itself, tries to have control, it really LOVES control. Over situations, others, the way we perceive certain situations, the way we act. Everything. It does this because it wants more, it always wants and wants and wants and is never satisfied. This is why a lot of us never feel happy when we are searching for things that are outside of ourselves. For when we are searching out, it is almost always the ego calling the shots, the ego at the wheel. And sometimes if you let it, it will drive you to some crazy and dark places. Ever wonder why you freak out over something so small? Why you let “the little things get to you?” Why something about someone else makes you upset? This is all ego.

The ego lives on fear, feeds on fear. This is also why a lot of the things we don’t like about others is actually the things we dislike about ourselves. You can’t dislike something about someone unless you dislike it about yourself. This scares us. It scares us because it sheds a light on the things that we try to hide. But its important to shine this light and not turn away; face these fears and not listen to that voice inside your head. Acknowledge it and then let it go. Let it flow through you like the wind. We are all energy and energy is meant to flow, not remain stuck and stagnant within. So breathe and let it go.

After you recognize this voice inside your head. Begin to notice. What is it saying to you? What kind of language is it using? What is it’s tone like? How does it make you feel? Stressed, anxious, joyful, sad? When you experience these emotions what does this voice do with them? Does it want you to suppress them or to let them out? Whatever you notice happening within, always ask yourself why? Why am I feeling this way? Where is this feeling coming from? Why is it coming from there? Just contemplate and notice. Try to do this without judging yourself.

Perhaps begin to notice the stories you tell yourself. This is a big one! Are they true for you at this time in your existence? Why do you believe them? What do you believe about these stories? If they don’t resonate with you, you can always stop and re-write. AT ANY TIME! You can be who you want in each minute of each day. If you don’t like who you are, what you’re doing, then change the story of yourself. When you do this, you will begin to see your outside world changing as well.

Being present is another way to help calm the waves the ego makes in your mind. There is a saying I like to use, “where awareness goes energy flows”. So, what you are really concentrating on is where most of your effort and energy will go. Make sure it is towards things that will help you to become the highest version of yourself you want to be/already are. The ego really likes to take stories and spin them out of control, adding on layer and layers to these stories that are not true. Notice this and just let it go. As you move through your day, try focusing your awareness on one thing at a time. If your mind wanders (and it will) simply bring it back to what you were doing. Eventually the voice will start to quiet bit by bit, and soon you won’t notice it as much. You may find yourself able to think before you act, stay calmer in situations where you once would’ve lost control, and experience more inner peace instead of living in fear and negative emotions.

The ego will try to hold on. It doesn’t want to let go of its control and its power. It lives in fear, so it will do everything it can to keep it, laying traps for us to get stuck in. This is ok! It’s good to remember we are all on a journey of self-discovery. There is no time-clock. We have infinite amounts of time. Hell, it doesn’t even exist! Just another creation of the mind. So don’t worry, its all a process and know that it will take time and just breathe, relax, and always remember not to be so hard on yourself.

At the end of the day, your thoughts are not you. Just another aspect of the mind. You don’t have to listen to that voice inside your head. You have the ability to tell it no, to simply let your thoughts drift in and out and not allow them to attach themselves to your inner world. For you are the ruler of your inner world, not the slave of your mind.

I hope this helps shed a bit more light on the ego, consciousness, inner world, etc. Ego is one that will come up a lot on this site so if you have any questions or comments feel free to comment or message me!

Peace,

Rylee

What is consciousness?

Because the purpose of this blog is to discuss and inform on all things consciousness I thought I would discuss what this concept means to me. Again, as with anything on the website, you are welcome to take whatever you want from what is posted. We all experience our own realities, and thus form our own understandings and perceptions. What a beautiful thing this is!! Life would be pretty bland if we all thought/interpreted the world in the same way.

Consciousness to me means being/becoming aware. Aware of what? Aware of everything! The way the soles of my feet feel on the drenched grass after a fresh rain with soppy mud from Gaia. The way my thoughts form stories in my mind that make me believe certain things about myself are true (Most times they’re not). The way these thoughts form habits that in-turn effect the way I sometimes behave on the outside and feel on the inside. Realizing the fact that I am not my thoughts, that there is something else. Something that lives inside, behind the curtain of thoughts. Something that has always been present within me, I just never realized it until I became conscious, or awake. It’s simply understanding that I am not my emotions and thoughts, they are just apart of the human experience that I get to have on Earth at this time, how groovy! I am very grateful to get to experience the ups and downs.

Sometimes becoming aware or conscious of our world and the way it is can be a lot for me to take in, I’m sure others feel the same way; this is my experience. When I “awoke” I realized that we live in a very materialistic society that is run on nothing more than quick fixes (that I don’t actually think fix anything, at least not permanantly), greed (always wanting more, this is ego!! More on that later), and power. I noticed that some humans were working so hard, doing things they didn’t necessarily enjoy doing, simply to buy more, experience more, have more! I feel that this “more” situation is simply a hole we’re all trying to fill. This “more” problem has led to a lot sadness, death, destruction of human lives, cultures, ecosystems, etc. This was difficult for me to see at first, for I felt as though I had been blind my whole life to it all.

After some deep diving within through mediation, contemplation, and alone time (a lot in nature), I realized that there is a lot of good with the bad, there is also never just good and bad. To me it’s not one or the other, it’s a spectrum. That goes with anything: emotions, words, people, labels. Nothing is black and white, this has helped me understand A LOT about how I see things. I don’t believe there are bad or evil people. I do believe there are people that do bad things, getting swept up in their minds and illusions. The good thing is I do believe there is a shift within the world. People are “waking up” and understanding that maybe the way things are done is not the only way they should be done, perhaps there is a better way. There IS a better way.

This is what consciousness means to me. I could say a lot more, which I probably will in another post sometime. Another thing I have learned through becoming more conscious: there is always enough time!! Don’t worry about checking off all of these imaginary boxes on your to-do list of life. It will all happen when it is supposed to happen, don’t worry! Just flow don’t fight it. I know I’m not perfect, but I am me. The me I’m supposed to be, and honestly that is good enough, oh and I’m human right now. Pretty cool, so sometimes I make mistakes and am hangry and tired and that is alright too, it’s simply being aware of all of this and not letting it dictate your life.

Consciousness is cool! I would love to hear everyone’s own definitions/experiences! Feel free to share if you would like, or message me! I am grateful for the opportunity to share and have the ability to be writing this post right now.

Yes my nose is sunburnt and my face is sweaty because I live in the frickin jungle and I love it.

Peace,

Rylee

Books!

I love reading. It is something I have always done as a child and will most likely do until the day I leave this body. Thankfully most of us humans have the tools to be able to read and write with our hands, eyes, and minds! I am grateful for all of these books for helping me dive deeper into my consciousness and the workings of my inner self.

I would like to add that knowledge can be power. But always use this power with good intentions. Sometimes I find myself reading just because I want more knowledge, which can be another ego trap. (I’ll get into that in another post). I always try to remind myself as to why I am reading what I’m reading, what do I feel about the content, and how can I implement it within my life if it resonates with me. Taking time to rest, reflect, and digest can do wonders for the soul.

Now then, here is a list I have cultivated. Feel free to add any more you feel align in the comments below! Most can probably be found on Amazon, or perhaps used bookstores (shopping local is a good idea).

1. The Alchemist-Paulo Coelho: Purpose/Dharma/Personal Legend

2. Siddhartha-Hermann Hesse: Enlightenment

3. Mother Earth Spirituality-Ed McGaa: Native American Spirituality

4. Rainbow Tribe-Ed McGaa: How non-natives can practice/incorporate Native American Spirituality

5. Dancing the dream-Jamie Sams: Paths to the inner self, Native American Spirituality

6. The Book of Awakening-Mark Nepo: Poetry and everyday examples and stories

7. A New Earth- Eckhart Tolle: Becoming aware, calming the mind and emotions

8. The Power of Now- Eckhart Tolle: Focusing awareness on present moments

9. The Untethered Soul-Michael A. Singer: Releasing attachments

10. How to Change Your Mind- Michael Pollan: History and uses of psychedelics

11. The Way of Zen-Alan Watts: How to live according to the way of Zen perspectives

12. The Wisdom of Insecurity-Alan Watts: One of my favorite books, I’ve read it many times, and learn something new every time.

13. The Yamas & Niyamas-Deborah Adele- Goes through the first two limbs of yoga. Five ways to practice restraint, and five ways to embrace on and off the mat. Highly recommend, even if you don’t practice yoga!

14. The Bhagavad Gita-This one has a lot to say about consciousness, the mind, and emotions, a lot of layers, a lot of profound wisdom.

15. Healing Wise-Susun Weed-A different way of healing the body, mind, and spirit! Not necessarily western, not alternative, but a mix/third approach. I really enjoyed this one as well, especially as a woman who experiences monthly cycles.

16. Ayurveda-Sahara Rose-Bringing the traditional ways of the sister science of yoga (Ayurveda) to the western audience in more simplistic terms. Great for anyone interested in healing themselves with Ayurvedic techniques.

17. On the Road- Jack Kerouac-Isn’t considered as spiritual. But I really love this book and what it had to say about living life in the moment and enjoying the ride.

18. Daring Greatly- Brene Brown-This book is what the title says. Let going of our fears that keep us from living a loving life with an open heart. Its all about daring greatly and diving into the uncomfortable by living a vulnerable life. I’ve read this book twice and will most likely read it many more times.

19. The Four Agreements-Don Miguel Ruiz-Living your life by the four agreements as described by Ruiz: 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don’t take anything personally. 3. Don’t make assumptions. 4. Always do your best.

20. Break The Norms-Chandresh Bhardwaj- He talks about myths that are associated with spirituality/society and how we can break them as well as decide for ourselves what works best.

21. Ishmael-Daniel Quinn-My bf really wanted me to read this and I am glad that I did. It is about a gorilla criticizing modern society and how it is harming us all.

22. Awakening Intuition-Frances Vaughn-This is a good book if you want to become more acquainted with your intuition. Vaughn gives many different practices you can engage in and also talks about roadblocks on the road to intuition.

23. Ecological Intelligence-Ian McCallum-Wonderful book about our connection to the natural world and what we can do to become more connected to ourselves, nature, as well as what we can do to help the environment. Also includes a lot of poetry, whoo!!

24. You Are A Badass: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living An Awesome Life-Jen Sincero-A friend recommended this book to me (thanks Bri!!) and I think I read it in like two days. Life-Changing. If you are ready to leave your doubts and fears behind, to take control of your life, and make some much-needed changes, then pick this book up! It fucking rules.

25. How To Do The Work: Dr. Nicole LaPera: Beautiful book written by psychologist Nicole LaPera. She takes a holistic approach to our healing and offers us things we can do along the way back to our journey of health and wholeness. It isn’t an easy journey but it is definitely worth it. Just like reading this book!

26. Braiding Sweetgrass: Robin Wall Kimmerer: A very enlightening book on our lost connection to our plant siblings and how we can re-establish this connection through indigenous wisdom and spending time communing in the natural world. A truly beautiful story.

27. If Women Rose Rooted: A life-changing journey to authenticity and belonging: Sharon Blackie: Wow. I think this is one of my absolute favorite books. Blackie talks about her own journey towards reclaiming her authentic self as a woman through myths and personal stories. Highly recommend.

28. Walking Softly: Thomas D. Peacock: A story about the path of an Ojibwe man’s life to becoming an elder and what it means to be in alignment with ourselves and the world around us. I really loved this story.